David Moncrieff (Hughes, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide final report does not just make harrowing reading; it is a cry for leaders in government, Defence and the Department of Veterans' Affairs to arrest the deeply tragic rate of suicide and suicidality among serving and formerly serving members of the Australian Defence Force. The numbers are confronting. The latest three-year suicide rate during 2021-23 was 26.4 deaths per 100,000 per year for ex-serving males, 16 for permanent males, 15.2 for reserve males and 10 for ex-serving females. We know that behind every number is a father, a mother, a sister, a brother, a son, a daughter, a friend. My community in Hughes is home to a significant veteran community, ranging across the Sutherland Shire around the Holsworthy Barracks and Moorebank, out to the Macarthur region in areas like Macquarie Fields and Glenfield. I'm sure that many know the gut-wrenching feeling of losing a loved one to suicide.

In opposition, we acknowledged the national tragedy of veteran suicides and have supported the work of the royal commission since coming to government. In December 2024 our response accepted the overwhelming majority of the commission's 122 recommendations. By the end of this year, we will have implemented two-thirds of these recommendations, and the Defence Legislation Amendment (RCDVS Implementation and Related Measures No. 2) Bill 2026 is a critical step in facilitating or directly fulfilling 35 recommendations. The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide is the result of years of hard-fought advocacy by the family and friends of military personnel who have taken their own lives, as well as current and former ADF members fighting for better outcomes. More than 50 inquiries and reviews with over 750 recommendations relevant to suicide and suicidality among serving and ex-serving ADF members went into the work of the commission, and its reporting is a watershed for unveiling the reality that the families and friends of those lives lost to suicide know personally only too well.

While suicide is a complex personal and public health issue, there is a vast body of credible research on the risk factors for suicidality. As explained in the royal commission's report, ADF members are often placed in high-risk environments in service to their country. They are expected to live and work in extremely physically and mentally demanding situations and are exposed to high levels of stress, ranging from combat related deployments to domestic operations, natural disaster responses and humanitarian peacekeeping missions. Training can involve physically intensive live-fire exercises, explosives and training that simulates warlike conditions. These experiences are critical to ensuring that ADF members operate at the highest standards of performance and that our soldiers are able to act with maximum lethality in combat situations. The Australian Defence Force prides itself on the virtues of mateship, mentorship, discipline and service, and experiences in the ADF evoke these strengths of character. These positive aspects of military service are also protective factors against suicide and suicidality, instilling a sense of purpose and camaraderie amongst members. However, risks and protective factors can interact in ways that are often difficult to understand, with several diverse components often at play. What is clear is that the prevalence of suicide and suicidality in the veteran community is significant and that it is unacceptable. It is a burning platform, and our government has not wasted a day in advancing the large body of work required to implement the royal commission's recommendations.

The bill in consideration today is a large stride forward, directly implementing 15 recommendations and facilitating the implementation of 20 others. These include the direct implementation of recommendations 22, 61, 62, 64, 78, 80, 87, 94, 102, 106, 107, 108, 115, 116 and 121, as well as supporting recommendations 2, 5, 8, 14, 33, 39, 58, 59, 60, 65, 67, 68, 72, 74, 88, 98, 103, 113, 114 and 122. These recommendations are broadly focused on enhancing health, wellbeing and safety outcomes by improving information sharing and modernising governance arrangements. These include aspects such as the establishment of a brain injury program, transformation of research into outcomes, support for service members to transition into civilian life, a new agency focused on veteran wellbeing, improvement in the timeliness of information-sharing between Defence and DVA for claims processing, and much more.

The information-sharing provisions permit ministers to authorise the collection, use and disclosure of information concerning current and former ADF members by entrusted persons. Better information-sharing allows for a more integrated approach across departments and agencies, allowing continuity of care and for effective interventions to be made sooner. It will enable claims to be processed more efficiently, which is a measure of great importance to many veterans in my community. We have already made substantial progress in fixing the mess left to us by the previous government, under which a backlog of 42,000 claims were never even looked at. That wasn't an accidental oversight. It was a predictable outcome from a party that holds the gutting of Public Service jobs and wage suppression as a proud part of its DNA.

Our government was elected on a commitment to properly resource the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Thanks to the Albanese Labor government's increased staffing and resources for DVA, all new liability and incapacity claims are now allocated for processing within a two-week time frame. This is not just about abstract efficiency gains. It means that veterans are able to receive support when they need it, in a timely and compassionate manner, closing gaps and delays in service and saving lives.

The bill also provides a framework for the defence health system, including the provision of defence health services. The new powers are carefully balanced by privacy safeguards and guidelines. It inserts a new clause in the Defence Act focused on health and wellbeing support for veterans and their families and amends the Military Rehabilitation Compensation Act to give the Repatriation Commission more powers to provide wellbeing supports for ADF members transitioning into civilian life.

This transition point into civilian life was identified by the royal commission as a particularly high-risk moment. It is critical that our safety nets and support systems work as effectively as possible to facilitate veterans as they transition back into the civilian community. The royal commission found that while systems can hold information critical to the support of veterans wellbeing, deficiencies in integrated information-sharing between relevant bodies can result in agencies operating in silos, producing delays or gaps in access.

No veteran should fall through the cracks because of agencies not talking to one another. That's why schedule 1 of this bill allows entrusted persons to collect and use relevant information to support a veteran's health and wellbeing. The other measures in this bill are also important, relating to the determination of benefits to former partners of Defence members in circumstances of family and domestic violence, clearing up a system that, previously, could be too difficult and draining for victims to navigate. This legislation ensures that Defence and DVA are better equipped to intervene early and effectively when members, veterans and their families are at risk, saving lives before it's too late.

The Albanese Labor government's record of investment for Defence and veteran communities is profound. It extends from system-wide changes to make it easier for veterans to access support to early interventions and to on-the-ground facilities to support health and wellbeing. My electorate of Hughes spans across southern Sydney, from the edge of the Royal National Park through the Shire and Holsworthy over to the Macarthur region, including suburbs such as Ingleburn and Glenfield. It is home to more than 3,600 current serving and former ADF members. It hosts the Holsworthy Army Barracks, a range of proud RSL sub-branches and veterans' social groups.

Our community will soon be able to access a new veterans and families hub at the historic Bardia Barracks site on the former Ingleburn Military Army Camp. Ingleburn holds a rich heritage for our Defence community, and Bardia Barracks is a proud part of this story, having been a major training camp for infantry units in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. During the 1990s, many buildings were ravaged by fire and units began to be transferred to other military camps. It had been vacant since the turn of the century and had recently been occupied by the Ingleburn Military Precinct Association, catering for RSL sub-branches, school visits and historical tours.

The new Bardia veterans and families hub will preserve this cherished history with a museum of local military history while being repurposed to provide extensive new support for veterans' wellbeing and access to services. Over 19,000 veterans across south-west Sydney will benefit from this new hub that will form part of an integrated support system for ADF members, veterans and their families. This is a significant investment in the wellbeing of our local defence community and a celebration of their immense contribution to our local area and to our country. It's a project that the member for Werriwa was a fierce advocate for when Ingleburn, Bardia and Macquarie Fields were part of the Werriwa electorate. The hub will provide services and support related to wellbeing claims, social connection and pathways to health, employment, housing and community services. The bill before us today sets the legislative framework by which new services and facilities like the Bardia veterans and families hub can most effectively operate. When service providers are linked and effectively communicate with each other, veterans engage with a more holistic support network that is more likely to make effective interventions and facilitate improved long-term wellbeing.

From today, 1 July, we are also launching the Veteran and Families Wellbeing Agency with $78 million in funding to support veterans and their families as they transition out of service. This brings the Albanese Labor government's total spend on veterans' health care, support and compensation to $15 billion. That's $5 billion more than the Morrison government spent in their last year of office. This spending is carefully targeted with the establishment of a national veterans data set as part of this plan to better inform evidence based policy evaluation and service delivery.

RSL sub branches, peer support networks and local coffee groups are often the first point of contact for veterans doing it tough. In my electorate, there are many fantastic groups that provide a sense of camaraderie and shared experiences. The families and carers who support those living with physical and psychological wounds of service also provide unparalleled love and support for these veterans. The information-sharing provisions in this bill support them by allowing the Public Service and other relevant actors to perform their role more effectively and strengthen the broader ecosystem of support.

The reality is that for far too long, too many veterans have put their lives at risk in the highest level of service to our country, only to struggle to adapt to civilian life while navigating a dauntingly complex support system. The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide shone a light on the consequences of these critical safety nets failing to catch veterans when they needed help the most. Not only have the Albanese government voiced their ambition to fix this system, we have acted and we are delivering. For those who give everything, it is the responsibility of this government, of Defence and of community leaders to work hard at improving and strengthening the support system for our veterans, and to act at pace to reduce the tragic rate of suicide and suicidality in our defence community. The Albanese government takes this responsibility with the utmost seriousness and is committed to improving outcomes for our veterans. I commend this bill to the House.

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